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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. spring — the season
  3. land — to come down
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bore — to tire
  6. squash — to crush
  7. spring — of water
  8. fall — the season
  9. bore — to drill
  10. land — ground
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. craft — boats
  13. prune — to trim
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fall — to drop
  17. prune — to trim
  18. squash — the sport
  19. fall — to drop
  20. sharp — clever
  21. spring — a coil
  22. land — a country
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bore — gave birth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com